A new survey by the Pew Research Center on the top priorities of US Americans shows that climate change ended up in 17th place out of 18.

There is no evidence that climate change has ever been a top concern for most Americans.

Recently I reported on a poll that Gallup has conducted in America every month of every year since 2001. Admirably, it makes no attempt to prompt or influence. It asks people to name the most important problem facing the country, then it records their answers.

If one seeks honest, genuine insight into ordinary people’s lives, that’s a great approach.

Pew Research Center, another American polling outfit, conducts a different kind of survey. For 25 years (from 1994 to 2019 inclusive), it has read members of the public a long list of pre-selected topics in random order. People have been asked to attach a label to each one.

Should it be a ‘top priority’ for the President and Congress this year? Should it be a lower priority? Is it unimportant? Does it deserve no attention at all?

In 2007, Pew added ‘global warming’ to this list of potential top priorities. In 2016, it started calling it ‘climate change’ instead.

Last year, 44% of respondents told Pew that ‘Dealing with global climate change’ should be a top priority. That sounds significant until you notice that every single item on the list received at least 39% support.

In such cases, raw percentages are meaningless. What matters is how a topic ranks compared to its fellows. Those results couldn’t be clearer. In 2019, climate change ended up in 17th place out of 18.

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February 12, 2020 at 09:05AM

Extinction Rebellion is threatening to “will bring the city to a halt with a week-long roadblock” if the City refuses to meet its demands on climate and social justice.

Extinction Rebellion is threatening to “bring [Cambridge] to a halt” unless the city’s elected politicians hand over “significant decision-making powers and a binding mandate” to an unelected “citizens assembly”. Guido is pretty sure there is a word for people who use threaten people’s way of life to achieve political ends…

The rigged ‘citizens assembly‘ Extinction Rebellion is demanding would “exclude those who directly profit from the exploitation of workers, the Global South, or natural resources.” This would replace the functions of the elected city council. Extinction Rebellion would do well to realise there are local elections in just a few months time. It seems they’ve decided that launching a coup is easier than actually, you know, winning an election…

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February 12, 2020 at 08:12AM

Guest essay by Eric Worrall

Private jet sales are up, but the ongoing Cashmere Goat shortage might cut into some of their other purchases.

Global Warming Threatens Luxury Lifestyles Of The Rich 

Ollie Williams
Senior Contributor Wealth Management
How European billionaires spend their time and money.

As London Fashion Week approaches this weekend, luxury brands talk about sustainability as if it were going out of fashion. But do their buyers really care?

Consumers of some of the most expensive luxury brands are also connoisseurs of the most polluting types of consumption available. And they’re now buying more than ever. 

Take private jets, on which any multimillionaire worth their wealth hops from Davos to Dubai. Despite “flygskam,” the new Swedish word coined for flight shaming frequent flyers, deliveries of new private jets are expected to rise 9% this year according to a report from Honeywell International. 

Deliveries are also expected of a further 800 superyachts this year, as the 5,000 strong fleet of these 24+ meter ships grows around the world. Each of these burns an average of 500 litres (110 gallons) of fuel an hour, according to Towergate Insurance.

…

Luxury consumers are being influenced by the young, who, says Sunshine, are more aware of their purchases, as well as celebrity culture. “With fashion you could maybe think a little bit before buying something brand new,” said Kaitlyn Dever whilst walking the red carpet towards the 92nd Academy Awards in a Louis Vuitton dress made from responsible silk satin.

…

“Global warming is effecting the supply of material everywhere,” says Cotton. Take the cashmere used in Johnstons of Elgin products, for example. It comes from Mongolia where a near 2% increase in the country’s climate since 1940 is spoiling grassland. Less grass means less grazing for cashmere producing goats.

…

Read more: https://www.forbes.com/sites/oliverwilliams1/2020/02/11/global-warming-threatens-luxury-lifestyles-of-the-rich/#6693a2da6db7

China’s habit of using Mongolia as a toxic industrial waste site might also have impacted the health of the goats.

Lets hope the rich sort out their eco-friendly cashmere shortage before they take delivery of their new private jets, it just wouldn’t do to have to turn up to an exclusive private soiree in Switzerland or Canada wearing last year’s goat fluff.

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February 12, 2020 at 08:05AM

When the economy falters, so does public support for climate action.

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February 12, 2020 at 08:02AM